I joined Stoke FIT with a friend. It was something she wanted to do and wanted a bit of moral support. If I’m being brutally honest, the plan was to go with her for 2 weeks, once she was settled in I was going to make my excuses and never return. Thankfully that plan never came together. From the first day I could see what a lovely group of people were there. There was absolutely no pressure and the expectation was ” you’ve turned up, whether you walk, jog, run or anything in between it’s fine”.  This attitude is what has been making me come back every week for 4 months. The support is outstanding, the advice is invaluable and the effects it’s had are so far reaching I don’t know where to begin. Away from health and fitness I’m sleeping better, I feel happier and far more relaxed. Tonight I had to go for my 6 month check up as I have type 2 Diabetes,  my tablets have been reduced from 4 a day to 1 a day !!!  And I have also lost an amazing 1 stone 6 pounds.

This is down to Gregg and Frank giving up their time to run this group. Their support and belief that if they can get people off the sofa and out running is infectious. There is also a lot of fun, which if I’m being honest is one of the main reasons I like this group. It’s such a relaxed atmosphere that I found myself running further than I thought I could and then the penny dropped, Gregg and Frank believed I could do it and without any strong arm tactics they pushed me that little bit further and were the first to congratulate me on how well I’d done. I’m under no illusions that I still have a long way to go in improving my fitness further and I actually wouldn’t want to carry on this journey without all the brilliant people that make up Stoke FIT.